Paths to the Elite Eight

[The Mad Hatter]

I'm getting tired of the implications that WSU is the beneficiary of an easy path to the Elite Eight. Here are the Sweet Sixteen teams with an easier path to the Elite 8 than WSU by average opponent seed (WSU's average is 7.3):

Miami 8.3
Syracuse 8.7
Indiana 9.7
Duke 8.3
Florida 13.3
KU 9.3
Louisville 12
La Salle 8.3
Arizona 9
Ohio State 10.3

Marquette and Michigan State had the same average opponent seed as WSU at 7.3.

The only teams with harder average opponent seed are Oregon (3.3), Florida Gulf Coast (4), and Michigan (6.3).

[Rlh04d]

While I absolutely agree, the argument will be made that Gonzaga wasn't a real #1 seed.

Fact is we were in a bracket with the co-champion of the B12, the champion of the SEC, a ranked B1G team, a ranked Big East team, and the #1 team in the country -- which only lost two games all year, one without Olynyk, one on a one-in-a-thousand series with the stolen in bounds pass and layup as the clock expired. There's no easy road there. We not only won that bracket, but we dominated it, leading for 107 minutes out of 120 and winning those three games by 38.

[Rhatigan]

I knew the idiots were going to say we had an easy path. Let's just take care of business in front of us. Btw, people on this board have accused other schools of having an easy path in the tournament. Not so fun when it's direct at you is it? There is no easy path to the Final Four.

[WuDrWu]

I couldn't care less if our path was Baptist Tabernacle, Xenon School of Hair Design, Oxnard School of OTR Trucking and Kansas School of the Blind if the end result is we're preparing for the National Semi Finals on Monday.

#PlayAngry
#NotSatisfied

[Dan]

I don't know, playing Xenon woulda been a killer. I'll take Gonzaga any day.

[Shocktoberfest]

The beauty of it all is that when we beat OSU Saturday all that crap will be erased. Who cares how we get there. If we are in Atlanta, we deserve to be there.

[Kung Wu]

While I absolutely agree, the argument will be made that Gonzaga wasn't a real #1 seed.

OK, but they were arguing that they should be a #2 seed. If you take that into account, there is no difference at all in what @The Mad Hatter: posted, except that Michigan State and Marquette would be 7.3 and we'd be 7.6.

[RomeoCrennel's Belly]

No path to the Elite 8 is easy. Now, would I rather have played Gonzaga like we did, or Louisville? I think a case can be made there but we still have beaten some darn great teams to get where we are.

[jdmee]

You can make up any story about how easy the path was for any team. look at Fl Gulf Coast. They beat a team that has lost to a double digit seed 5 times in a row. The beat a team that is 5-8 outside of California.

[sdshox]

OK, but they were arguing that they should be a #2 seed. If you take that into account, there is no difference at all in what @The Mad Hatter: posted, except that Michigan State and Marquette would be 7.3 and we'd be 7.6.

And, on top of that, how many metrics/analysts thought Pitt should have been higher than an 8 seed?

[eeshocker]

When the bracket was announced, everyone was up in arms over Pitt being screwed and should be a much higer seed. I think most thought a #4 or #5 seed was in order. Sooo, one can argue, we had to play a much harder first game.

[ShockerPhi]

You can make up any story about how easy the path was for any team. look at Fl Gulf Coast. They beat a team that has lost to a double digit seed 5 times in a row. The beat a team that is 5-8 outside of California.

Amen to that. I never believed Georgetown was ever that good. Every game I saw them play this season, they barely scored in the 50's if that (even though they somehow won). Not to rag on FGCU at all, because I'm rooting for them, but Georgetown sure as hell wasn't a 2 seed. I'd give them an 8 seed at absolute best...

[jocoshock]

Who cares? Let's just beat Ohio State and the next two teams after that. Everybody wants an easy path to the Final Four and other coaches always complain as a way to hedge against falling short of expectations...

We have Ohio State in front of us. They are a 2 seed. If we beat them, no one can rationalize the win as OSU being overrated. If we beat Louisville the overall number one seed (assuming they beat Oregon), no one can say anything about that. The teams that make those claims are the ones who didn't take care of business.

The "experts" who say stuff like that are just trying to cover their asses for making lazy picks in the first place and not doing their homework on the Shox.

At the risk of sounding like I am obsessed wth KU, they Jayhawks allegedly got a very easy path to the National Championship game in 1988 including a home court advantage against OU at Kemper Arena in KC. I have never heard anyone apologize or be defensive about that NC. They called it a Miracle...

If we make the run to the NC and come home with a trophy they only thing we should say is #SHOULDHAVEWATCHEDUS

[ShockerPrez]

I know that the Elite 8 banner or final 4 banner or NC banner, by rule, should be at least 1 foot shorter for every overrated team that you got to play as opposed to a real team, so, it does matter.

Huh? That's not true?

Oh. Well F#ck. Who cares!!??

[OTR Shockfan]

I couldn't care less if our path was Baptist Tabernacle, Xenon School of Hair Design, Oxnard School of OTR Trucking and Kansas School of the Blind if the end result is we're preparing for the National Semi Finals on Monday.

#PlayAngry
#NotSatisfied

Hey Now !!! ???? there was a Oxnard school for what I do ?? ... Damn,,, guess I missed my chance at greatness LOL
You play the teams in front of you, ( thats all you can do ) oh and ask Louisville if they want another taste of the Valley after they played ISU and UNI ,, and only wining both ganes by8 total points.... Not so sure they want to have a 3rd matchup with the Valley 2nd place team anytime soon. but if it happens so be it. GO SHOX !!!